Cushion

ABSTRACT

An object of the invention is to provide a cushion with full of fun such that the user can change the shape and enjoy such change in shape visually when in use. The cushion includes an outer cover member formed by integrally combining a plurality of bag members being different in shape from each other and being in communication with each other in interiors thereof, and a filling material in the shape of particulates stored in the outer cover member and being capable of changing the appearance of the outer cover member by moving among the bag members. Beads are used as the filing material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cushion.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the related art, a cushion in which beads are stored as a fillingmaterial in an outer cover member exists.

Such cushion has a property in which the shape can be changed inaccordance with a physique owing to a preferable flow property of thebeads.

However, the cushion described above is formed into a square, aspherical, or a disk shape, and can change in its shape simply inaccordance with the physique, and such change in shape of the respectivecushion is intended only to achieve such practical object as toconforming to the physique. Therefore, the change in shape of therespective cushion does not put fun to users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide acushion with full of fun such that the user can change the shape andvisually enjoy such change in shape when in use.

In order to achieve the object described above, a cushion according tothe invention includes an outer cover member formed by integrallycombining a plurality of bag members being different in shape from eachother and being in communication with each other in interiors thereof,and a filling material in the shape of particulates stored in the outercover member and being capable of changing the appearance of the outercover member by moving among the bag members.

Accordingly, with the cushion according to the invention, the shape ofthe appearance of the outer cover member may be changed by moving theparticulate filling material stored in the outer cover member betweenthe respective bag members, and thus variations in shape thereof can beenjoyed visually.

The cushion according to the invention can be formed in such a mannerthat one of the bag members of the outer cover member can be stored inthe other bag member thereof.

Accordingly, in the cushion of the invention having a certain appearancein a state in which the one bag member is stored in the other bagmember, the outer cover member can be changed into the other completelydifferent appearance having two parts of different shape by pulling theone bag member outward from the other bag member, so that it gives astrong impression to the user with an element of surprise, and thus theuser can have more fun.

In addition, by storing the one bag member into the other bag member, itcan be stored in a compact shape.

The cushion according to the invention may be formed in such a mannerthat the shape of the one bag member of the outer cover member hasrelevance to each other to the shape of the other bag member thereof.Consequently, since the shape of each bag member has relevance to eachother, a story-like property is provided to the cushion of theinvention, and thus imagination of the user is stimulated, and the usermay have much more fun.

The cushion of the invention may include beads as the filling material.

Accordingly, in the cushion of the invention, extremely desirableusability is achieved, since it can be changed in shape smoothly owingto a desirable flow property of the beads, and is superior in resiliencyand has a soft touch.

According to the cushion of the invention, the shape of the outer covermember may be changed by moving the particulate filling material storedin the outer cover member between the bag members, and thus variationsof the shape may be enjoyed visually. Therefore, it can be used forpleasure, and thus is specifically appreciated by children.

In addition, in the cushion of the invention having a certain appearancein a state in which the one bag member is stored in the other bagmember, the outer cover member can be changed into the other completelydifferent appearance having two parts of different shape by pulling theone bag member outward from the other bag member, so that it gives astrong impression to the user with an element of surprise, and thus theuser can have more fun. In addition, by storing the one bag member intothe other bag member, it can be stored in a compact shape.

In addition, since the shape of each bag member has relevance to eachother, a story-like property is provided to the cushion of theinvention, and thus imagination of the user is stimulated, and the usermay have much more fun.

In addition, in the cushion of the invention, extremely desirableusability is achieved, since it can be changed in shape smoothly owingto a desirable flow property of the beads, and is superior in resiliencyand has a soft touch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cushion according tothe present invention, showing a state in which one bag member isprojected outward from the other back portion;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the one bag memberis stored in the other bag member; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the presentinvention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a cushion 1 according to the presentembodiment includes an outer cover member 2 formed by integrallycombining a plurality of bag members 3 and 4, being different in shapefrom each other and being in communication with each other in interiorsthereof, and a filling material 5 in the shape of particulates stored inthe outer cover member 2 and being capable of changing the appearance ofthe outer cover member 2 by moving between the bag members 3 and 4.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the one bag member 3 is formed into suchshape that can be stored in the other bag member 4 of the cover member2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the one bag member 3 and the other bag member 4 ofthe outer cover member 2 are formed to have shapes having relevance toeach other.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, beads 6 are employed as the fillingmaterial 5.

The embodiment shown in the drawings will be described below. Accordingto the cushion 1 of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, thetwo bag members 3 and 4 are integrally combined to form the outer covermember 2.

The number of the bag members may be increased to three or more.

The respective bag members 3 and 4 of the outer cover member 2 are, asshown in FIG. 2, formed so that the interiors thereof communicate witheach other.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral edge of the openingof the one bag portion 3 and the peripheral edge of the opening of theother bag member 4 are connected so that the interior of the one bagmember 3 and the interior of the other bag member 4 communicate witheach other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the filling material 5 is stored in the outer covermember 2.

Since the interiors of the respective bag members 3 and 4 are incommunication with each other as described above, the filling material 5can move between the bag members 3 and 4.

In other words, the filing material 5 can move from the one bag member 3to the other bag member 4, and vice versa.

The two bag members 3 and 4 are, as shown in FIG. 1, different in shapefrom each other and formed respectively into the shapes that haverelevance to each other.

In other words, according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the onebag member 3 is formed into a shape of a dinosaur baby, that is, theshape including a body portion 8, a neck portion 9 projecting from thefront end of the body portion 8 obliquely upward, a head portion 10formed at the distal end of the neck portion 9, left and right front legportions 11 projecting sideward from the lower portion of the front endof the body portion 8, left and right leg portions 12 projectingsideward from the lower portion of the rear end of the body portion 8,and a tail portion 13 projecting rearward from the center of the rearend of the body portion 8.

The other bag member 4 is, as shown in FIG. 1, formed into a shape of adinosaur egg from which the dinosaur baby is hatched, that is, into anegg shape.

The shapes of the bag members 3 and 4 may be determined at liberty andare not limited to the dinosaur baby and the dinosaur egg.

The one bag member 3 of the outer cover member 2 is formed so as to becapable of being stored in the other bag member 4, as shown in FIG. 3and FIG. 4.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, it is formed in such a manner thatthe bag member 3 having the shape of the dinosaur baby may be stored inthe interior of the bag member 4 having the shape of the dinosaur egg.

At this time, the bag member 3 having the shape of the dinosaur baby ischanged into the state of inside out as shown in FIG. 4, and the filingmaterial 5 stored in the bag member 3 moves completely to the other bagmember 4.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a sliding fastener 7 is attached tothe peripheral edge of the opening of the other bag member 4, so thatthe opening of the other bag member 4 shaped like the dinosaur egg canbe closed in a state in which the bag member 3 shaped like the dinosaurbaby is stored in the interior of the other bag member 4 shaped like thedinosaur egg.

Therefore, by closing the sliding fastener 7 in a state in which the onebag member 3 shaped like the dinosaur baby is stored in the interior ofthe other bag member 4 shaped like the dinosaur egg, as shown in FIG. 3,only the bag member 4 shaped like the dinosaur egg is exposed.

Then, in order to expose the bag member 3 shaped like the dinosaur baby,things which have to be done is opening the sliding fastener 7, openingthe opening of the bag member 4 shaped like the dinosaur egg, andpulling the bag member 3 shaped like the dinosaur baby from the inside.

At this time, such story that the dinosaur baby is just hatched from theegg is created. Therefore, the user may have fun to let his/herimagination fly in accordance with the story.

A cloth material being soft and having a pleasant texture is used as thematerial of the outer cover member 2.

In order to enable movement of the filling material 5 between the bagmembers 3 and 4, some amount of air space is formed in the outer covermember 2.

Therefore, the filling material 5 is stored in the outer cover member 2not by the amount that fills both of the bag members 3 and 4 completely,but by such amount as to leave some space in one of the bag members 3and 4 even when the other bag member is completely filled with thefiling material 5.

Although it is shown as if both of the bag members 3 and 4 are filledcompletely with the filling material 5 in FIG. 2, it is to be understoodthat there is a space at the portion which cannot be viewed in thedrawing.

The beads 6 are used as the filling material 5 to be stored in the outercover member 2.

The beads 6 are fine particulate substances and those used here are inthe range from about 0.5 to 1 mm in particle diameter.

The material of the beads 6 may be any material, and polyolefin basedsynthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene, and thermoplasticsynthetic resin such as polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride may be used.

It is also possible to use beads formed of expanded synthetic resin,such as so-called expanded beads, for example, expanded polystyrenebeads.

In other words, the material may be selected arbitrarily from thesematerials.

Those described in the above-described embodiment may be modified asneeded within the scope of the invention.

1. A cushion comprising: an outer cover member formed by integrallycombining a plurality of bag members being different in shape from eachother and being in communication with each other in interiors thereof;and a filling material in the shape of particulates stored in the outercover member and being capable of changing the appearance of the outercover member by moving among the bag members.
 2. A cushion according toclaim 1, wherein one of the bag members of the outer cover member isformed into the shape which can be stored in the other bag member.
 3. Acushion according to claim 1, wherein the shapes of the one bag memberand the other bag member of the outer cover member have relevance toeach other.
 4. A cushion according to claim 1, wherein beads are used asthe filling material.